Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has inaugurated in Upper Egypt's Assiut a new barrage and hydroelectric plant as part of a number of mega development projects set to open during the upcoming days.

El-Sisi has also inaugurated the first and long-awaited 6,500-square-metre national museum in Upper Egypt's Sohag governorate.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, a number of ministers as well as the speaker of Egypt's parliament Ali Abdel-Aal.

The new hydroelectric plant includes four turbines and is the largest water project on the River Nile after the Aswan High Dam.

Electricity projects

Electricity Minister Mohamed Shaker has said that the 2,400-megawatt plant will generate electricity based on pumped-storage technology.

The project was launched in cooperation with Chinese state-owned hydropower engineering company Sinohydro.

The consultancy contract for the project has been granted to French engineering and project management company Artelia, Shaker said, adding that the project will be completed in seven years.

The project will be the largest in Africa and the Middle East, and the third largest worldwide, he added.

Initial contracts for the project will be signed early next month.

As for a power linkage project with Sudan, Shaker said an agreement has been signed with Sudan side to carry out the project with a capacity of 100-200 MW.

The project, to be finalised in October, covers 10,000 kilometres within Egyptian territory.

He said the capacity of the project could increase to 600 MA in the future.

New Sohag museum

Antiquities Minister Khaled Anani said the museum consists of six halls and showcases about 1,000 pieces.

The construction of the EGP 72 million museum started in 1993, but was suspended in 1996, he said, adding that work on the project resumed in mid-2016.

He noted that the ministry also reopened in 2016 the Mallawi Museum, which had been destroyed by terrorists in 2013.

Anani added that Sohag is home to 60 archaeological sites.